The World on Four Paws

After I was bitten by a nasty Pekinese in my childhood, I thought I’d never warm to the man-dog friendship. Life would later prove just how wrong I was, but back then I managed perfectly well without a four-legged companion, and dogs, for their part, weren’t exactly pining for me either.

Funnily enough, that cold and detached attitude to dogs didn’t turn me into a cat person. It is a truth universally acknowledged that humanity divides more or less half and half into dog people and cat people. Me being me, I was an island somewhat apart, greatly appreciating individualism, even if at the time I didn’t put any name on it, nor, to tell the truth, thought much of it. In any case, for the time being I had no intention of thrusting myself into those long-established pigeonholes.

Once I finally came round to dogs, I noticed that I got on better with the larger breeds. Large dogs have all the qualities that I appreciate and are easier to train, even if they certainly demonstrate strong characters. They are not usually aggressive, yet they pack a punch and won’t hesitate to defend their owner when push comes to shove. Their dormant strength gives me a sense of peace and security.

I crossed the Pekinese off my list, as all the little ratters had always held some unjustified grudges against me. Which made my choice obvious.

What counts most in animals, and what you can’t see at first glance, is their psyche. A lot can be read in their eyes. Training a dog goes some way, but you won’t control what’s happening inside the head.

Living in a city, for obvious reasons I couldn’t have a canine companion. Even if many won’t agree, I believe that you shouldn’t keep a large dog cooped up in a flat in a tower block. It goes against its nature and needs.

However, every house should have its dog, one to be its guardian. I find a house and a dog a perfect match.

I had dogs that arrived not by my choice but by pure accident. One of them was a chow chow. Brought over from the Netherlands for some friends, he couldn’t settle with his new owners. Their family couldn’t handle the little one, so I was left with no other option but to take in the mischievous pup. And that is how the chow chow joined my pack. And a pack it was, for at the time I had two Alsatians, managed with an iron paw by the third – a bitch I’d rescued from the construction site for my house. She was a mongrel with clear wolfish traits, and incredibly loyal and protective to boot.
Adopting animals has a powerful virtue: they reciprocate the human feelings. You won’t find more devoted or faithful dogs.

Brought up among German shepherds, my chow chow picked up a few of their habits: he started barking, and grew fiercer, revealing his strong character.

Yet it is large shepherd dogs that finally stole my heart, and these are the breeds I believe I’ll stay with for life. Today, I’m living with the latest generation I’ve brought up myself.
I’ve always been keen on the shepherd/dog pairing. Some other dogs really struggle when they live next to their rivals. It’s another matter with the Bernese and Swiss shepherds. They know how to make peace and lead their dogs’ lives together.

Dogs are more loyal than cats. For the owner, they are a wonderful breakaway from the daily grind with thoughts of work, duties, and reasons to worry. When I’m very tired, I take the dogs out – they enjoy it and I unwind. I rejoice in their generous and honest selflessness. All they want is tenderness and your presence. Their company helps me shut the outside world out.
Comparing that canine refuge of mine to the magic of the piano, they both transport me to another dimension. Keeping dogs is a form of therapy.

Animal sensitivity allows communication. They do respond to words.
Horses are a similar case. Recently, my Mirage’s trainer told me: “Speak to her, she is listening. Just speak. Or, better yet, sing.”

Some claim that owners start to resemble their pet. And I guess they’re right. I have frequently observed owners and their dogs. The alignment and attuning work both ways. This astounding flow of characteristics is both physical and mental.

I’d be loath to name my favourite dog.
When asked by my children which of them I loved the most, I told the truth: the only difference is how long I’ve loved them.
Which dog would I take to a desert island? The first one I had, and then I’d return to fetch the following ones, until in the end they would all be with me.

Dogs react to music. They listen carefully, as it is a novelty for them, and an intriguing one. A different world. My dogs enjoy listening to music when we walk, and I play it from my phone. Music means that our walks are more fully shared, almost intimate. We are surrounded by nature, animals walking by my heel, and then music springs into the air. Together they make my fatigue float to some place far away from me.
I can hear the soft pattern of my dogs’ paws and their breathing. Dusk has fallen, but with them beside me, I feel no evil. I am safe.